Transcendent
by Team Edward ELRIC ftw
Summary: After completing the battle in the Pharaoh's past, Yugi and his friends prepared to send Atem back to the Afterlife. However, before they have a chance to do so, they are whisked away into a new world with incredible dangers all its own.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know, Yugi does the magical ceremonial battle thingy and Atem is set free, blahbittyblahbittyblah. However, since I haven't seen that part in forever and am much too lazy to go back and watch it again, let's just say that this is right before said CBT. All else will (hopefully) be explained by the story. Oh, and this starts just before the beginning of the series for FMA. ONWARD.**

**(P.S. This is 2003 anime-verse for FMA)**

Yugi, Atem, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Seto Kaiba faced the enormous and foreboding Gate with apprehension. Not that there was anything else to look at; wherever it was that they were, it was all just blank white nothingness.

Aside from that Gate, of course.

Not a single one of them seemed to understand, or to even begin to comprehend, what was happening. All were transfixed by the Gate.

Then the Gate began to open.

Before any of them could react, thousands of tiny black arms reached out and quickly pulled them into its depths.

Tea screamed, Joey and Tristan yelped and attempted to pull away, Kaiba struggled like mad, and Yugi and Atem desperately tried to keep everyone together.

"Everyone, grab hands!" Atem shouted, reaching for Yugi and Kaiba. _Damn_, he thought. _The last thing we need right now is to get separated._

Suddenly, they were traveling through a tunnel of light as a human chain, even Kaiba having seen the sense in staying together. Though the trip barely lasted 30 seconds, to the worried and frightened group of friends, it felt like an eternity.

Then there was an even brighter flash of light, and it all went black.

* * *

Edward and Alphonse Elric had seen a great many things throughout their lifetimes, bother terrible and wonderful. Improbable and what some would classify as impossible.

But never before had they seen anything quite like this.

They were bound to leave on a train that would take them as close to the desert village of Liore as any railroad went in half an hour. Al had asked to walk around the empty field for a little while, if only to calm their rather frayed nerves; this was the biggest lead on the Philosopher's Stone that they had ever had.

Understandably, they were nervous.

They had expected that, though. They had expected it to be hard. Challenging beyond anything they had done before, even. They had expected the unexpected.

Just not quite this.

For lo and behold, what should happen but a blinding flash of white light dumping six teenagers in strange clothes on the ground in front of them, completely out for the count.

"We... should try and see if we can wake them, Brother," Al said after a long pause, turning to Ed only to find him gone. Confused, he turned back to the mysterious teenagers, only to find Ed trying to kick one of them —a boy with strangely purple spiky hair and blonde bangs lying beside a shorter counterpart— awake.

"Brother!" Al reprimanded.

"What?" his older brother said shamelessly. "I'm just trying to wake them up, like you said!" He flashed a grin.

"Not like that!"

While the brothers began to bicker, Atem groaned as he awoke to a dull pain in his side. He vaguely heard their argument in the background, wondering briefly if it was Joey and Tristan before realizing that he recognized neither voice. He looked to his side to find Yugi lying motionless but for the rise and fall of his tiny chest. Unsure of the brothers' intentions, he surreptitiously began shaking him awake.

Yugi moaned and opened his mouth to say something to the Pharaoh, but Atem put a finger to his lips and pointed to the oblivious Elrics.

"What would _you_ suggest we do? Throw cold water on them?"

"At least it's better than kicking them!"

_Oh, so that's why my side hurts_, Atem thought idly. He shook his head. _But now's not the time for that, first we need to get everyone up and figure out what's going on_.

As Atem moved to wake up Kaiba, the shorter one turned back to the unfortunate group, smirking when he saw Atem moving.. "See Al? He woke up!"

If he could've, Alphonse would've rolled his eyes.

"Hello there," he said in his usual friendly tone, "I'm Alphonse Elric. Who are you?"

For the first time, Atema and Yugi actually noticed what they were seeing and hearing, finally making the connection between the 11 year old voice and the huge suit of armor standing in front of them. What kind of place had they landed in where little boys wore suits of armor? Was it really that unsafe here? Or was there an even darker reason behind it?

After a moment, they realized that Alphonse was looking at them expectantly.

"Yugi."

"Atem."

They kept their answers short and succinct, still unsure of these people's friendliness, their suspicions reinforced by the boy in the armor.

"What about the rest of your friends?" the other boy asked. Though his tone was friendly, his stance was on guard, and his golden eyes wary.

It was Yugi who eventually answered, if only to break to tense and awkward silence that had fallen. Pointing to each of them in turn, he said, "That's Kaiba, Joey, Tristan, and Tea. The still haven't woken up yet..." He mostly mumbled the last part to himself.

As if on cue, Kaiba grumbled and began sitting up. "What happened?" he demanded of Atem and Yugi. "Where are we?"

"I don't know, and I don't know, Kaiba," Atem answered frustratedly.

"You're just outside the village of Sestin."

Kaiba turned to the golden-eyed boy. "Who are _you_?"

"I'm Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist." Arrogance crept into his tone and he flashed a silver pocket watch as though it was a police badge.

"The FullMetal what?"

"Alchemist. It means I study the science of alchemy, which is—"

"I'm not stupid, brat. I know what alchemy is." Kaiba glared at him. "And I also happen to know that alchemy _never worked_."

"What's going on?" It was Joey; he'd finally woken up and was nudging Tristan and Tea awake.

"This little brat thinks he can trick us into believing that alchemy actually exists."

Unfortunately for Seto Kaiba, Edward Elric hadn't heard a single word beyond "little brat."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE HE COULD HIDE BEHIND A BLADE OF GRASS, YOU STUPID BASTARD?" Ed screeched, throwing a punch at Seto Kaiba before he could react.

"Brother! He didn't say that!" Al called exasperatedly.

"He called me little _and_ a liar!"

"That doesn't mean you can just up and punch him!"

Joey, on the other hand, was rolling around on the ground and laughing his ass off.

"Oh man," he gasped between fits of laughter. "I've been waitin' for someone to do that to Rich Boy for a long time."

Tristan and Tea had gotten up by now and were asking the same questions Kaiba had. Ed sighed and drew a hand over his face.

"We don't have time for this," he muttered impatiently. "We have a train to catch! C'mon, Al!" he started to walk away.

"We can't just leave them here!"

"Why not?"

"They're obviously lost, the least we could do is help them find their bearings!"

"Why do we owe anything to them?"

"Well, you did kick one of them and punch another..."

"That doesn't matter! I was only trying to wake the Atem guy up, and the Kaiba dude just plain had it coming. Besides, we _really_ don't have time for this. There won't be another train for days. We have to catch this."

"Well then, why don't we just ride this train with you so you can explain along the way? You're wasting a fair amount of time just standing here arguing about it as it is," Kaiba suggested as though it were obvious, still smarting about being punched in the face, and itching to punch Ed back as soon as he got an opening. "There. Problem solved."

"No way!" Ed shouted, as though the very idea were repulsive. "No tag-alongs!"

"We don't need to go with you afterwards. We'll just stay long enough for us to figure out where we are and what's going on so we can get home. Then we'll be out of your skin," Tea spoke up, playing the role of peacemaker before the situation got too out of hand.

"That's not—" Ed cut off, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Fine. But once we get to our destination —whether we're done talking or not— we're gone."

"Edward..." Al said.

"You know I'm right Al."

And that was that.

* * *

They made their way to a train compartment towards the back. The train was only sparsely populated, due to its rather remote destination.

"Okay, so what now?" Kaiba demanded.

"Well, where are you from?" Al asked politely, his sweet personality the complete opposite of his brother's unpredictable nature. Looking between the two, Atem wondered how in the world they were related.

"Domino City, Japan," they all answered in unison.

Ed looked confused for a moment, before it hardened into a harsh glare. "Very funny. Now tell us for real."

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked, taken aback.

"Japan? Come on; there is no country called Japan. Now quit jerking me around and just tell the truth already."

Atem felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. "Have you... ever heard of America? Or Egypt? Germany?"

Ed blinked. "What?" Then realization dawned on his face. "You — you're really not from anywhere _near_ here, are you? Because this world has been explored in its entirety and none of those places exist here."

"'This world'? Now what are you going on about brat? Quit with all the dumb lies." Kaiba's voice was icy, with a hint of disbelief.

"I don't think he's lying," Yugi said quietly.

"So says the boy who thinks his friend is a Pharaoh."

"So says the Pharaoh, too." Atem glared a Kaiba, who avoided his gaze. Kaiba was uncomfortable around Atem, having seen him separate from Yugi with his own eyes, but still unwilling to admit it was true. So, instead of dealing with the problem, he simply was doing his best to avoid it.

"Come on!" Kaiba turned back to Yugi. "Are you really going to believe that we somehow ended up on this 'other world', coming from a guy who claims to be an _Alchemist_? To put this in simple terms so you understand, this is ludi—hey! What the?"

Throughout the entirety of Kaiba's argument, Ed had been growing more and more _pissed off_ at this guy. He did his best not to react, but eventually, he gave in to temptation.

Now this dumbass was being held against the wooden backboard of the seat by a pair of transmuted handcuffs.

"There. Alchemy."

"It's not possible! There has to be a trick!"

"Would you like for me to gag you too? 'Cause I'd be _more_ than happy to, I can assure you."

Kaiba fell silent, though still glaring and struggling mightily against his restraints.

"Thought not."

Joey and Tristan hi-fived and congratulated Ed on a job well done between bouts of laughter at Kaiba's expense. Tea had put her head in her hands and was mumbling something about "boys" and "idiots" and "why me?" Yugi and Atem exchanged a bemused look. Atem could clearly see the message in his counterpart's eyes.

_I still don't know if I can trust them yet._

_Me either, _Atem thought with a sigh. _Me either_.

But Kaiba definitely had it coming to him.

Al gave his brother a look before turning back to the unknowing world-travelers. "Now, lets see... um, what's the last thing you remember before you all woke up here?"

"It was that weird Gate thing," Joey said. "Swallowed us all right up! Buncha' tiny black arms, creepy little things..." He shuddered, trailing off.

Ed started. "What... kind of Gate?"

"It was huge! And when it opened, we all got pulled in by the weird little arm thingies. There was a little tunnel thingy... and a flash of bright light. Next thing I know I'm waking up here." That was Tristan.

"Do you know anything about it?" Atem asked.

"No. Nothing."

No one was very convinced.

* * *

Ed had left Kaiba hanging for a good ten minutes before Al had made him let the stupid bastard down. Besides, the wound to Seto Kaiba's massive ego would surely be much worse than any sort of physical discomfort.

Edward and Alphonse explained as best they could about their country, Amestris, going into detail about their military, and about State Alchemists in particular.

"Oh, so you're a State Alchemist?" Yugi asked.

"Yup. Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist." Once again, arrogance crept into his voice.

Atem looked at him steadily. Ed certainly _seemed_ normal enough, but there was something off about him and Alphonse. Actually, a great deal of things. For one, why on _earth_ was Al in a suit of armor? Why was Ed wearing gloves if he was traveling to the desert?

And why was Ed even in the military yet at all?

The train soon came to a stop. Ed and Al got up, and Ed grabbed a suitcase from an overhead compartment.

"Let's get going, Al. See all of you later. Maybe."

"Wait! Let's at _least_ give them some money so they can find an inn and get some food," Al said, practically pleading with his elder brother.

"Fine." Ed pulled out a check and wrote out an amount. "That should be enough for a few nights. Don't worry about the costs; I have a large research fund. I really don't need it. We should be back by then, if you haven't decided what to do. See ya."

"Wait— why don't we just go with you? Wouldn't that be a lot simpler?" Tea asked.

Ed opened his mouth to speak, but it was Al who answered.

"No. It's too dangerous. You could very easily get hurt."

"But we—"

"No means no. C'mon Al."

And with that, they were gone.

**End Ch. 1**

**A/N: Imma try to post once a week, on Saturdays. But don't be too surprised if I miss a week once in a while. I have tried before to write full multi-chapter stories, but always failed. I'm hoping I can do it better this time because I have a strict layout to follow (i.e. FMA episodes) and I'm just going back and watching them. I'm also trying to always have once extra chapter on hand. I promise, I'm doing the best any procrastinator can! Please review though, reviews are how I feed my plot bunnies.**


	2. Chapter 2 Part 1

**A/N: Mmkay, so a couple days ago, I was in this exact archive and was reading the descriptions of this story and another one, Alchemy Shadows (which is very good by the way), and I was mildly freaked out when I noticed just how they were exactly the same. It freaked me out even more when I looked at our first chapters and noticed lots of other similar things. Maybe I'****m just being paranoid, but I want to make it very clear that this was all just really coincidental. I did not steal this idea from anyone else.**

**On another note, who here wants for me to change the names of the Yugioh characters to their Japanese ones? I made them the English dubs version cuz that's what I saw first, when I was 8 and it came on cartoonnetwork. But, at the same time, I have seen subs and I have read lots of fanfics with their Japanese names, so, since I live for the readers, I want to know what they would prefer. So just drop me a review and lemme know.**

**Speaking of which, I only got ONE review for the last chapter. AnimeSnowflake is currently my favorite person: Not only did they review, but they reviewed and gave constructive criticism. Thanks a bazillion! However, I got a fair amount more hits than reviews. Hits are nice, but reviews are what feed the plot bunnies. I have abandoned stories before when I lost inspiration. I won't give any sort of quota or anything, but please do review.**

**Now that I have concluded ranting... ONWARD!**

The group of friends looked around at each other. After a long moment of uneasy silence, Atem finally spoke up.

"We should follow them."

"What? Why would we want to go after people like that?" That was, of course, Kaiba.

"Because, Kaiba, they are our unofficial 'guides' here. Plus I'm not sure I trust them. What could be so dangerous about a desert village? I want to be sure of their motives before I put my trust in them fully."

"So you decide to follow them into a completely unknown situation in a world that's completely new and strange to you? Because _that_ makes sense and is completely, 100% danger-free. What happens when it _does_ turn out to be dangerous?"

"Oh, so you believe them now?"

"Not like I have much choice. This must just be a parallel dimension where alchemy developed instead of some other science like physics. There is an actual scientific theory regarding parallel dimensions, and you didn't answer my question."

"I'm sure, whatever it is, we've faced worse."

Kaiba grunted. _I wouldn't underestimate this world. We don't have any idea what's out there._

"Well, you do whatever you want to do. I'm going to do like they suggested and get a room 'til they come back."

"You'll have a hard time without money." Atem was smirking now.

"But they gave us plenty!"

"Correction: they gave _me_ plenty. You, for once in your life, don't have control over any sort of money. So this is completely under _my_ jurisdiction."

Kaiba glared. "So you're blackmailing me."

"Well not really... actually, yeah. That's exactly what I'm doing. So either you can live as a hobo for a couple days, or you can come with us."

"And possibly get killed?"

"I doubt it'll come to that."

"Why do you even want me along?"

"Yeah, Atem, why _do_ we want this pig along?" Joey joined in the conversation.

"Because I'd rather we didn't get separated. Like Kaiba said, we don't know much about this world. We need to all stick together."

"_Everybody off!_"

That was the train conductor. Realizing they hadn't moved from their train compartment yet, the out-of-place teenagers clambered out and into the hot desert sun.

Atem looked around for the Elrics, before seeing the giant suit of armor standing out in the crowd. They were at a booth, and as he got closer, he heard the end snippet of their conversation.

"—two tickets to Liore," Ed was saying.

"Uh, that'll be 40."

Ed handed over a few coins and were directed over to where a cab driver was waiting.

"Over here!" Atem called.

They stumbled up to the cab service.

"We need..." Atem counted the group of people. "six tickets to Liore."

"Yeesh. The guys just before you asked to go to Liore, too. What, is there some kinda reunion or sommat'? Costume party? 'Cause all 'a you look weird. The one was in a suit of _armor_. Some kinda freak." The guy shook his head in distaste. "Anyway, that'll be 120."

Atem paid and they piled into a cab.

"So, have you ever heard of Edward Elric?" Yugi asked their cabbie.(1)

* * *

After listening to the cabbie about the older Elric, Atem leaned back and thought about what he had just been told. It seemed as though Ed was generally well-respected by the common-folk, and he had somehow managed to garner a reputation that he was out for the people. Hence, "The Hero of the People."

But Atem still wasn't sure.

Glancing out the window, he saw the Elrics.

_What happened to their cab?,_ he wondered.

"Can you let us out here?" he asked. When the others looked at him questioningly, he pointed out the window, where the Elrics were trudging through the desert.

"Uh, sure kid, but don't you want to get closer to civilization?"

"Just let us out."

"Okay, okay. Jeesh. Ya' don't need to bite my head off."

They piled out of the cab and headed towards the Elrics, trying to keep out of sight.

As they neared the village of Liore, Ed and Al stopped, before looking directly at where they were crouched behind a sand dune.

"Why don't you just come out now? You've been following us for hours."

Atem was the first to stand, refusing to be intimidated by the short blonde.

A vein bulged on Ed's forehead. "We told you to stay there. Why did you follow us? Are you just _looking_ to get killed?"

"It's a desert village. How dangerous could it honestly be?" As Atem said this, Yugi stood beside him. Slowly, everyone else rose up, too.

"We honestly _don't know_. We came here on a rumor about certain strange happenings. We're just checking them out. We don't _know_ what'll happen, but based on the nature of the rumors, it probably will involve some danger."

"It can't be worse than anything we've faced before." Yugi reiterated Atem's earlier point to Kaiba.

"Oh really? I wouldn't suggest you underestimate this world. It's not as soft as you seem to think it's going to be."

Atem and Yugi rolled their eyes.

Ed was seething. These people were _getting on his nerves_. Looking at Al, he knew his brother would never approve of leaving them out here in the desert, so, reluctantly, he gestured for them to come along.

"But when we get there, _leave us alone_."

* * *

"Ugh, I need water," Ed complained for the thousandth time. "I'm so thirsty I can almost hear it... Wait—"

He ran ahead and looked into the square. Upon seeing a flowing fountain, he ran forward, shouting in joy.

"Woohoo! Yeahheheh! Waterwaterwaterwater!" But once he got there, the grin faded and he picked up a cup full of wine.

"Great."

"Hey you! Get away from there! Kids ain't allowed to drink from the fountain, you know that."

The man looked at the group in front of him and laughed after hearing their story. "Oh, you're out-of-towners, huh? I thought you were just a bunch kids trying to sneak a drink at the fountain."

Glancing up, the bartender reached for a wire to the radio. "I almost forgot; time for a little soul-food."

As a voice came out over the airwaves, preaching, Ed commented, "Well, that's freakish."

"Your friends are in strange clothes I ain't ever seen before, your buddy's in a suit of armor and you're wearing gloves in the desert and you're calling us freaks?"

Ed didn't comment.

After a long pause, the man spoke again, "So, uh what's your deal, anyways? Are you street performers or somethin'?"

Ed did a spit-take. "I don't think so, pops. Do I look like a clown to you?"

"Who is this guy on the air, anyways?" Yugi spoke up for the first time. They had been watching silently, mostly because they weren't sure of what the societal norms were and didn't particularly want to make fools of themselves. After the first few minutes, however, they had decided that this society wasn't all that different from their own.

"Why, that's Sir Cornello."

"Huh," Ed said. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"You're kidding! You've never heard of the great prophet Cornello?"

As a crowd of people came up, basically singing Cornello's praises, Ed and Al got up, clearly uncomfortable.

When Al broke the radio and subsequently fixed it, the group became very suspicious. Not of the brothers, but of this so-called prophet Cornello. If they mistook the brothers' alchemy for "miracles", they had a feeling that their alchemy and the prophet's miracles might be one and the same.

As Ed attacked a couple people who had called him short, a girl with brown hair and pinks bangs walked up.

"Ah, Rose! Finished your shopping for the offering?"

The girl smiled and nodded.

"Why don't you take these travelers to Father Cornello? He always has rooms open."

* * *

After they had gotten settled in to their various rooms, Joey and Tristan spotted and Ed and Al headed to the sanctuary Rose had said she'd be in. Sharing a glance, they followed, making unnecessary ninja gestures and rolls.

Due to the extra time it took for them to get there, they found Al waiting outside, presumably watching Ed and Rose inside. They got to him just in time to hear him mutter, "Great, Ed. Push your total cynicism on someone else."

"Hey Al, what's happening?" Tristan asked, coming up behind him. Before anyone could respond, there was the sound of a gun being click and a man saying, "Don't worry Elric, your brother will join you soon."

"Hey, what're you—" Joey shouted, but it was too late. The gun fired.

And Al's head flew right off.

Immediately, Joey and Tristan noticed something was wrong; for starters, there was no blood. But before they could do anything, the man had the gun pointed at Ed.

"Cray! What are you doing?"

"These two are enemies of God; it is His will, Rose, not mine."

"I don't think so."

Al had gotten up. As Cray turned to look in astonishment, Ed threw Al's head at him, effectively knocking him out.

But... Al had no head.

"Y-you don't have a head!"

"Don't be scared Rose," Al said, leaning over to display that he not only didn't have a head, but his entire body as well. He was an empty suit of armor. "This is how I am."

"Th-that's not possible!" Joey and Tristan exclaimed.

"You're not there..."

"It's true; I don't have a body. But I'm still here. This is my punishment for setting foot on holy ground, where mortals are forbidden."

Ed stared obstinately at the ground.

"We made a mistake Rose, Joey, Tristan. And we're paying for it."

At that, Rose screamed and ran away.

"Rose!" Ed started towards her, then looked back at the two boys behind him. "Do you still trust me? At all?"

After a long pause, Joey sighed. "You haven't really given us a reason not to. If I had a secret like that, I'd want to keep it that way myself."

"Yeah, so long as you don't suddenly start trying to kill us, I think we'll be alright."

Ed nodded. "Stay here. We'll go after her."

"We're coming."

"And you don't actually have any control over us," Tristan pointed out.

Ed grunted in annoyance. "Please stay here?"

"Brother, we're wasting time! Let's go!"

"Fine, but don't blame me if you get yourselves killed!"

* * *

They found themselves in a cavernous room, with Rose standing at the end of it.

"Rose!"

Cornello's smooth voice cut into the air. "You wrestled with the darkness and won, Rose. Thank you for bringing them to me."

He turned to the Elrics. "State Alchemists, brutal enforcers. I had a feeling you would show up one day."

"Well let's not chalk that up to pious premonitions, okay? You knew we'd come for the stone!" Ed shouted.

_Stone?, _Joey thought. _What stone?_

"You mean this, young man?"

He held up his hand, displaying his ring. Ed's grin became almost feral.

"I knew it. Alchemy without a transmutation circle. Completely ignoring the principle of Equivalent Exchange. It could only mean one thing!"

"Yes, the mythical gem, the legendary amplifier. The Philosopher's Stone."

"That's it Al. It's _ours_."

The way he said it sent shivers down Joey's spine.

Ed demanded Cornello give him the stone, but he refused, instead turning the floor into sand, causing Al to sink and making it so Ed couldn't draw a transmutation circle. Then he brought out a hulking chimera, a lion and a snake mixed.

"You mixed animals, the most depraved form of alchemy there is!"

"Maybe so, but most effective!"

Then Ed clapped his hands together and pressed them to the ground, pulling up an iron spear. As the lion snake attacked, he used it to hit the snake and lion chimera out of the way.

"H-how did you do that without a transmutation circle?" Cornello growled. Throwing a bird that had been perched on his shoulder, he shouted, "Bring me his head my pet!" before using his Philosopher's Stone to transform it into some hideous beast that only vaguely resembled the bird it had been.

It attacked Ed, claws closing around his left leg. Joey and Tristan closed their eyes, waiting for the snap as his leg was broken.

But no such sound came.

"What?"

"Wrong leg, pal!" Ed brought his foot out of the beasts claws. "And here's the right arm!"

He pulled back his arm and struck the bird-thing, sending it flying across the room.

But the lion/snake was back up, and came flying at Ed, teeth closing around his arm. However, nothing went through. It was gnawing on his arm, but it couldn't seem to bite it.

"What's the matter, you poor bastard? Can't get a good taste?" Ed threw the monster off and kicked it with his left leg.

"That's impossible! Those claws on your leg, those teeth on your arm! No one could survive that! Unless... Your limbs, they're fake!" Cornello shouted, realization finally dawning.

"_Brilliant_ deduction."

Ed started to rip his coat off at his right shoulder. "Don't look away Rose. This is what happens when you try to bring a human to life. When you cross into God's territory, or whatever the hell it is, is this what you want?"

His right arm was completely made of metal. Steel. Looking down at the rips in his pants, so was his leg. Tristan and Joey had never seen anything like it.

"I see. Now I understand you Elric. You crossed the line; you did what is strictly forbidden. You tried to create human life and your bodies were taken to the other side. You are the FullMetal. The FullMetal Alchemist!"

**End Ch2.**

(1)See, this is irony, because in the show, Ed asks his cabbie about himself, sort of trying to be a braggart. Well, not "sort of", he's being a braggart, but then he gets angry at the cabbie when he calls him short. And runs out of the cab. Chasing the poor cabbie.

**A/N: Blargh, I know this was kind sorta really pretty much the exact same as the first episode of FMA, aside from the beginning, but it was necessary. And I don't really like a lot of this chapter, I must admit, and the next chappie is already better. DON'T LOSE HOPE IN MEEEE! ****I promise, this next chapter will be different. There was a reason no one else came to the showdown with Corny. They have a different purpose O.o Anywho, all will eventually be made clear. And not exactly like the show.**


	3. Chapter 3 Part 2

**A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm a horrible person. This is two days late.**

**…**

**Whoops.**

**I do have an excuse, though. I was a Speech and Debate tournament for most of Saturday and was too tired afterwards to do anything else. Sunday, my mother hijacked the computer all day. She has a bad habit of doing that. Unfortunately, I'm just going to come out and say that this will be happening again. This weekend, actually. I have another tournament then, an even bigger one. And the next weekend, I'm going on a ski trip. I'll update when I can, but don't be surprised if I occasionally miss a day. I'll try to warn you in advance, but I may not always. If I ever discontinue this story (which I will try my very hardest not to) I will let you know. Otherwise, I WILL update. That is a promise.**

**On a happier note, I got 3 reviews last chapter! Yay! That's a lot for a small crossover section like this one. Many t****hanks to AnimeSnowflake, .dragona, and Isana for reviewing! You're amazing! Virtual cookies to all! And in answer to your question, .dragona, this is the first anime-verse. It will follow that plotline, but with the Yu-gi-oh crew, it'll probably change up some, so that way I'm not just rewriting FMA with random pointless Yu-gi-oh characters. This will be the last chapter that follows the exact same storyline as the FMA episodes. After this, it'll start to change.**

******DISCLAIMER: (forgot this the last two chapters... whoopsie-daisy.) Yo no tengo FMA o Yu-gi-oh. English? I don't have FMA or Yu-gi-oh.**

Atem, Yugi, and Tea wandered aimlessly through the halls of the massive temple. Joey and Tristan had run off some time ago, and while Atem had been assuring himself that they were getting into no more than their usual mischief, it was getting harder and harder for him to believe himself. Not only had they seemingly vanished into thin air, but Ed, Al, Rose, and Father Cornell had vanished along with them, making the entire situation all the more suspicious. So he, Yugi, and Tea had decided to take a walk, both to calm down and to keep an eye out for Joey and Tristan.

Suddenly, there was a large chorus of shouts coming from near where the sanctuary was. Atem could hear a large amount of people running, among them the distinctive banging of Alphonse's armored foot. Unsure as to what was going on, the friends decided to stay hidden in the shadows and to try to see what was happening.

As they ran past, Atem felt his eyes widen and heard a small gasp from Tea beside him. Ed, Al, Joey, and Tristan raced past, pursued by a large group of black-clad temple workers, shouting angrily for them to stop. Ed's shirt and pants were torn, revealing his right arm to be completely made of metal and, if the flash of silver on his leg was any indication, his left leg was metal too.

What the hell?

"Joey! Tristan!"

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

Whether the two of them didn't hear their calling or were just flat out ignoring it, Atem wasn't sure. But they all simply rushed by without a backwards glance.

Atem, Yugi, and Tea immediately began to follow them, when they heard Father Cornello's voice coming from behind them.

"Ah! There you are," he said, smiling warmly at them. "Please, come with me. There is something I would like to show all of you."

"Please, Father Cornello, our friends—" Yugi began.

"Do understand, this is of utmost importance. I need you to help me so I can help you save your friends from those heretic Elrics."

"Save them?" Tea asked, starting forward. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I will explain everything to you in due time, but I must first and foremost show you something. It will make more sense if I do."

Atem shared an apprehensive and anxious look with his friends.

_But_, he mused, _we've wasted enough time here already that Joey and Tristan are probably long gone, and this looks to be our best chance for answers._

"Alright, we're all ears," he said to the Prophet.

Cornello smiled, but Atem felt malice behind the warmth. "Thank you. Rose, please go get their other young friend. He should be here too."

A mildly amused glance passed between Atem and Yugi. Kaiba had already made it _quite_ clear what he thought of the "ridiculous old crone" and would sooner believe that Atem was indeed a Pharaoh than anything that came out of Cornello's mouth.

Once Kaiba joined the group, grumbling about being disturbed for such a pointless thing, they were lead to a small room with nothing but basic furnishings, much like their own. There was a bed placed in the center of the room, with white curtains pulled around it, hiding a vague figure.

"R-Rose," it croaked. "Rose."

Rose's eyes lit up, and she took a step forward, her breath coming in amazed, hopeful gasps. "_Kain._"

"Wait, Rose." Cornello held her back gently. "The great Sun God Leto has seen your faithfulness and he has rewarded you by granting your wish. But the healing process isn't quite finished yet; we need more time."

"What is this?" Atem wasn't sure how to react; whatever he was expecting to happen, this certainly wasn't it.

"My boyfriend, Kain. He d-died a while ago, but Father Cornello is bringing him back now. He's really coming back!"

"Idiot girl, the dead don't come back to life," Kaiba snarked.

"Then what do you call that?" she demanded angrily, gesturing over to the figure on the bed. Her face softened. "It's a true miracle."

Kaiba snorted and reached to pull back the curtain, but Cornello grabbed his hand. As he turned in an attempt to free himself of the crone's surprisingly strong grip, two temple workers grabbed him, restraining him. Cornello gestured for them all to leave, locking the door behind them.

"What does this have to do with Joey and Tristan?" Tea demanded.

"Those two have been ensnared by the Elric brothers' web of lies. These Elrics are deceitful, evil beings whom are well beyond hope. I'd had hope that, by showing you this, you could convince them to turn away from this darkness and return to the path of light. I'd prefer not to lose as many children as I can. Please, I beg your assistance."

Atem wasn't sure what to believe. While the Elrics had yet to do anything to harm them, he was still suspicious of them. And here appeared to evidence of a true miracle, of a person being brought to life!

On the other hand, the entire circumstance was rather strange. _Convenient_, if you will. Why couldn't they at least see Kain, even if he was healing? Would eyes hurt him, or something? And to some extent, they really had to trust their friends' judgment.

But they'd been wrong before. What if they were… _misguided_?

Atem heaved a sigh. This was getting _way_ too complicated.

Cornello was still awaiting a response.

"I guess we'll try to talk to them and get them to see sense. We can try our best, Your Holiness," Tea said, taking control of the situation. Atem and Yugi turned to her in surprise; did she really believe him completely?

"Well, I won't. Sorry, but I just don't buy this at all," Kaiba said icily, without any note of apology in his voice.

"That's too bad. I have hope, though, that you will come to see the truth in your own time. As for you three," he turned to the friends, "thank you for your help."

Then he turned and left, the temple workers and Rose following him silently, as though they were obedient dogs.

Yugi turned abruptly to Tea. "Do you believe him?"

"I th-think I might," she stuttered. "I don't want to think Joey and Tristan are so horribly wrong and all, but… that just seemed like the real deal. You saw the miracle gathering earlier"—referring to what Ed had called "alchemy ignoring the laws"—"and even Ed said he couldn't do that with alchemy. I'm not sure the Elrics are evil, per se, but there's something off about them, that's for sure."

"Please. Even you geeks should be able to see how idiotic this is. Even the _mutt_ figured it out. What's dead is dead. Period. If the dead can be brought back to life like Father Corny claims, then why are there plenty of people lying around and rotting in graves? Face it, this is just a load of shit."

Atem closed his eyes, massaging his temples. This was getting them nowhere. They needed to find Joey and Tristan. Hear their side of the story. Then he would be able to decide who he needed to believe. Hopefully.

"Come on," he sighed. "Let's find those two and see what's what." He glanced back at Kaiba. "Are you coming?"

"A search party for a mutt and a cheerleader with you dweebs? I'm headed back to the room." Kaiba paused for a moment. "Oh, and you'd better find a way to get us back home soon. I have a company to run and a little brother to raise."

Atem turned to Yugi and whispered, "What do you think? About all of this?"

Yugi looked troubled. "I don't know. I just don't know."

* * *

"_Attention, people of Liore. Earlier this evening, heretics attempted to take the life of the Great Prophet Cornello."_

Cray's voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

"_One is short and blonde, the other wearing a suit of armor. With them are two foreigners with strange clothing whom have been corrupted by their evil._"

All around town, people were coming out and talking angrily, arming themselves with whatever they could find, preparing for an all-out man-hunt.

"_Father Cornello asks that you stay inside and take all necessary precautions until they are captured and brought to justice._"

"They're over here!"

"Come on!"

* * *

Ed sighed, looking at the two boys panting beside him. A small part of him was happy, however, that despite the incredibly strange circumstances and all the evidence against them, these two managed to trust him and Al.

"I don't get it," the aforementioned suit of armor said. "If we really want the stone at all costs, we would've just taken it."

"Somehow, I doubt that bastard priest really cares about that," Tristan muttered, "and these people are as good as his puppets."

Then the broadcast came over the air.

"See what I mean?"

Ed paused. "Here, I've got an idea."

* * *

Atem, Yugi, and Tea headed towards the large angry crowd that had assembled around what was presumably their friends.

"What kind of depraved souls are you? How could you go after the prophet?"

"We welcomed you here. You made us believe you were good!"

Ed heaved an exasperated sigh. "Look lady, I didn't ask you to believe anything. That's your priest! He's a phony!"

"Joey! Tristan!" Yugi called.

"Yug!" Joey waved. "You guys alright?"

"We're fine but guys… what happened?"

"That priest is nothin' but a fake. He damn nearly killed us 'cause we figured it out." Tristan looked at Ed and Al a little sheepishly. "Well, they figured it out."

"A-are you sure?" Tea asked, her voice trembling. She had believed this man, believed that he was a prophet, believed that he could bring back the dead, but if what Joey was saying was true, then was everything else Cornello had said a lie? He'd said he wanted to "save" Joey and Tristan. Why would he try to kill him, then?

"Of course we're sure! It's hard to miss someone pointing a gun at us and firing!"

"Cornello's swindling you! He's only using alchemy!" That was Ed again.

"_Liar_."

The word was spoken with vehemence, malice, and the crowd parted to reveal Rose walking up to them.

"Just now, my boyfriend spoke to me."

Ed's eyes narrowed.

"You mean old Kain who we lost in the accident? He was a good kid! Good for you, Rose!"

"There, see? And he's not the first, there have been many others."

"Has anyone actually seen these people up close? 'Cause I heard they all left town as soon as they came back!" Ed shouted.

_Wow,_ Yugi thought blandly. _I'm going to take a wild guess and just say Cornello's a liar._

Suddenly, a large thumping sound could be heard. The crowd collectively turned and gasped. A line of impressive stone statues of their Sun God was marching towards them.

"Wanna call him a phony _now_?"

"Joey! Tristan!" Atem, Yugi and Tea surged through the crowd in an attempt to reach their friends as the statues began attacking them. One of the statues knocked over the suit of armor standing beside Edward.

"Al!" Ed called, and all three of them turned automatically, just in time to be delivered blows to the back of the head, knocking them unconscious. A few of the statues picked up the three unconscious ones, while the rest began bludgeoning Al.

"_No!_" Tea screamed, still trying to break free as the boys were dragged away.

"Let go of them!" Atem shouted. He attempted to call upon his Shadow powers, but for whatever reason, the response was slow and was taking too much of his energy and concentration. By the time he was able to get them focused, the crowd and the statues were gone, along with much too substantial an amount of his energy.

He swayed on the spot, suddenly dizzy.

"Atem!" Yugi cried, catching his friend. "What happened?"

"Something about this world…" he mumbled tiredly. "I can't use my powers properly." He then proceeded to swear under his breath.

"Let's find a place for you to sit down," Tea suggested, looking worriedly at the Pharaoh.

"No, I'm alright," Atem insisted. "We need to worry about Joey and Tristan right now; they're in more trouble." _And Ed_, he added silently, having decided that Cornello was a dirty liar and that the two brothers could be trusted in this regard, at least. He knew Yugi well enough to know he would feel the same way, but he wasn't entirely sure about Tea.

"We need to help Edward, too," Tea said quietly, unknowingly answering Atem's unspoken question.

"Do you believe them?" Yugi asked her as Atem closed his eyes briefly.

"Yeah, I do now. Joey and Tristan couldn't really miss an attempt on their lives, really. I just feel so stupid, y'know? Here I was, believing Cornello and all his pretty little lies, when he tried to kill my friends!" Tea exclaimed, blushing fiercely in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it," Yugi told her calmingly. "He's had this entire town fooled for quite some time now. He fooled a lot of people."

"Not Ed and Al."

"Don't worry about it," Yugi repeated. "Just focusing on helping them."

After Atem caught his breath, they started walking back to the massive temple to find their friends. When the temple doors were in view, Atem said to Yugi and Tea in a low voice, "It might not be a bad idea to pretend that we still believe Cornello. We might be able to talk to them easier, and work out an escape plan."

"Yeah…" Tea trailed off. "I wonder… what does this mean for Rose and her boyfriend? What's going to happen there?"

"I don't know, but it probably won't be a happily ever after," Yugi said softly. His kind heart ached for the poor young girl. She really had nothing left.(1)

Then the trio once again entered the temple of the Sun God Leto.

* * *

"Hey Joey, Tristan!" Ed called. "You two alright?"

"I promise you, when I get my hands on that rotten priest…"

Ed grinned for a moment despite their circumstances, but soon his face turned somber again.

"Listen, there's something I want to ask you two about."

The two boys turned to look at him expectantly.

"What all do you remember about how you got here? Tell me everything you can, especially about… The Gate."

Joey looked confused for a moment. "Well sure, but why didn't you just ask us earlier on the train?

"There's something that even Al doesn't know. I'd like to keep it that way, but I need to know this and I don't want Al asking any questions. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"Why are you telling us this, then?

"I just told you, I need to know. Better it be just the two of you rather than all six of you and Al. This may be my best and only chance."

Joey closed his eyes. "We were just about to start the ceremonial battle to set Atem free…"

"The what?" Ed blinked.

"Never mind, it's not important," Tristan covered hastily, shooting Joey a glance. Ed cocked an eyebrow.

"Sorry, but that's someone else's secret. And I really doubt it has anything to do with what you're talking about."

Ed sighed. "Continue."

"So suddenly, there's this flash of light, and the six of us are in front of this Gate…" Joey quickly explained everything about their surprise journey through space and time into this world, ending with, "… then I woke up to you guys arguing about whatever it was you were arguing about."

"I've seen that Gate before," Ed whispered. "When we… tried to bring back our mother. I saw it. The Gate is what took my arm and leg and my brother's body as Equivalent Exchange. It may be the key to getting Al's body back."

They fell silent, unsure of what to say next, when the door opened to reveal Rose, Tea, and Yugi, each carrying a tray of food. Yugi and Tea went straight to talk to Joey and Tristan, while Rose walked stoically towards Ed.

"Oh, you came to feed me. And I thought you were mad. Ahh!" Ed opened his mouth as though he expected her to hand-feed him.

Rose set the tray down angrily, her pink bangs shadowing her eyes as she got up and began to walk away.

"I hope he's real, Rose." Ed was suddenly serious again. "I just don't want you to end up disappointed."

Rose fled.

Yugi looked back as she ran before saying, "So you guys have a plan?"

"Yeah, we'll be perfectly fine. Heck, Ed could get us out of here right now if he wanted. But we're gonna get this done, see this through."

Yugi sighed. "Alright. But please, be careful. You too, Ed. I don't—"

He was cut off as Father Cornello came down the stairs.

"Why have you lied to me, children? It seems I may be losing you and your other two friends to the darkness as well. Please come with me so I can assuage your doubts and fears." AS he said this, he grinned maniacally and ropes seemed to spring from the ground and attach themselves to Yugi and Tea's wrists.

"Hey, what're you doing to them?" Joey cried, struggling against the chains.

"Come along now, your other friends are waiting for you." The pure malice in his voice was undisguised.

* * *

Yugi and Tea were unceremoniously dragged along to the room where "Kain" was. They spotted Atem and Kaiba bound and gagged outside as well, and they could hear Rose's voice faintly from inside, talking to what she still believed to be her boyfriend.

Cornello opened the door and threw the four captive inside before taking quick strides over to "Kain's" bed.

"What's going on?" Rose shrieked.

Cornello didn't deign to answer her, instead simply throwing back the curtains to reveal what looked to be some hideous bird-thing which Yugi immediately dubbed the Extremely Frightening Chicken(2). Rose Gasped and immediately looked towards Cornello, waiting for him to explain it all away, still expecting him to have all the answers.

"Sorry, but even with the Philosopher's Stone, I can't manufacture a human soul, so I had to us the souls of these birds instead. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Rose," the EFC squawked. "R-Rose."

Rose was trembling, too stunned to do anything. Cornello quickly left the room, locking them inside with the EFC.

The four bound captives struggled mightily to get free, but before they could, the EFC attacked Rose, who could only get it together enough to scream…

There was a crash and a thud, and Al stood there, having punched the EFC to the ground, leaving it quivering and choking.

"I guess I don't need to tell you that it's dangerous here. Come on."

* * *

"You tried to… bring your mother back to life?" Atem asked quietly.

"Yeah," Al said. "But it was a mistake. We've paid for it. We're still paying for it. I lost my entire body; Ed lost an arm and a leg. All we want now, though, is to get out bodies back to the way they were before. It's why Ed became a State Alchemist."

_Well, that explains a lot_.

"Whatever happened to your mother?"

"I should get going." Al stood up.

They watched silently as Al began attaching several wires to the large bell that had hung in the temple steeple. Then he picked up a switch and flicked it on.

There was a brief moment of screeching feedback before Ed's voice came out loud and clear.

"_So what, is it the money you're after?_"

"_Oh, I can get all the money I want from the offerings. But you think too small. I'm making believers who would gladly throw away their very lives in my name. And why not? They believe I can bring them back to life. They aren't afraid to die. There is no greater army than those with a holy cause! Soon, I will have a big enough following to tear this country apart!_" That was the false priest, his voice a far cry from the warmth he used with his followers.

"_Makes no difference to us_," Ed sighed.

"_After all, there's no _real_ way to bring back the dead._"

"_Once you kill us, we're gone for good._" Joey and Tristan, adding in their two-cents.

"_I'm afraid you're right. I'd only end up like _you_, Elric. And what kind of King would sacrifice himself for the sake of his mindless pawns?_"

There was a brief pause, when suddenly Cornello's voice boomed out even louder than before.

"WHAT? How long has that thing been on?"

"Long enough for the 'mindless pawns tearing this country apart comment', I think." There was the sound of laughter in the background.

"How did you get my broadcasting equipment?"

"Al rigged it up!"

"Sure, you smashed him into pieces, but that was just some metal made to look like him!"

"No my children, they lie! Don't believe them!"

Yugi couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at that, though the situations didn't really call for it at all. But the nasty preach really deserved it. The smaller, some-what malicious part of him would enjoy witnessing Corny's humiliation that was sure to come; the bigger, sympathetic part ached for these poor people whose live had just been shattered.

Looking down, he saw Cornello racing out of the temple, to where the angry and frightened citizens of Liore had gathered.

"This I've _gotta_ see," Kaiba commented, smirking. He began racing off of the rooftop, the rest of the group following.

When they reached the crowd, they could just hear Cornello saying, "—didn't fool me with that little display downstairs." He held up something silver the Yugi vaguely recognized as the pocket watch Ed had displayed to them earlier, his State Alchemist watch. "Without this, the only alchemy you can do is to your own metal arm."

"You're not the only one that can't stand doubters, preach!" With this, Ed clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground, releasing blue alchemical light. "Here's the _real_ Hammer of God!"

And out of the temple rose a massive statue of the Sun God.

"Rings and watches have nothing to do with it; _my_ brother's the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The stone fist struck the ground in front or Cornello, sending him backwards. He started crawling away, clutching his hand to his chest.

"No! I won't let you have it! You can't take it from me—Agh!"

There was a burst of purple light, and Cornello screamed in agony. Ed raced up to him, presumably to get the stone. The people had fallen silent.

"What's happening?" Rose asked, echoing everyone's thoughts. Al didn't answer.

"An _imitation_?" Ed's voice was quiet, terse, yet somehow managing to carry through the silent town. "After everything you put me through, even the _stone's_ a fake? Quit jerking me _AROUND!_"

Not even Kaiba could think of anything to say to that.

(1) I don't really like Rose very much. She gets annoying. She's very whiny. And needy. And gets angry at Ed when he reveals Cornello despite the fact that a) her boyfriend was never coming back and b) Cornello was going to use them as "mindless pawns tearing this country apart". Why she doesn't get angry at _Cornello _is beyond me. She just strikes me as a Mary-Sue. However, they would be rather nice to her. So Yugi feels bad like the nice person he is, despite the fact that she annoys me like crazy.

(2) Extremely Frightening Chicken was dubbed thus by a friend of mine when I forced her to watch FMA. I have never been able to think of it any other way since.

**A/N Again, sorry for the late update. I must admit, though, when I first started writing this story, I was having trouble figuring out how to make Joey, Tristan, and Tea even relevant characters. Now Joey and Tristan and pretty major. Still don't know what Tea's purpose is, except that she randomly believed Cornello. I never liked Cornello. And Atem's awesome Shadow powers don't work! O.o Don't worry, I will NOT make the Yu-gi-oh crew completely useless. Anywho, please review!**


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